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BYU vs. Washington State: Mo Moments

There were approximately 150 plays in the Brigham Young
Cougars season opener against Washington State. Some of those plays were more
important than the others. The most important plays were those that created
momentum. The momentum, or potential momentum, of a play is influenced by
several factors. It isn’t just the 50-yard scoring pass, or fumble returned for
a touchdown that define the momentum of a game. The score at the time of the
play and the down and distance can make a 5-yard pass just as much of a
momentum changing play, as the 50-yard touchdown.

The final score of a game is what matters the most, but the
momentum changing moments do a lot more to tell the story of the game. The
purpose of “Mo Moments” is to identify and analyze these moments and their
impact on the game’s final score.

Mo Moment 1

The first “mo moment” of the BYU-Washington State game came
on Washington State’s first drive. The Washington State defense had stopped the
BYU offense and forced a punt. Now, the Washington State offense was steadily
driving the ball against the BYU defense, including a 8-yard pass on 4th and 5 at the BYU 44-yard line. The game was young, but Washington State was in
control.

On 3rd and 11 at the BYU 23-yard line, Washington
State dropped back to attempt another pass. BYU defensive back Daniel Sorensen
was in coverage and tipped the ball, and linebacker Uona Kaveinga was there to
make the diving interception.

Momentum swing! With an incomplete pass, Washington State
can still attempt a field goal and take a 3-0 lead. The interception took that
opportunity away. It put the ball in the BYU offense’s hands. The BYU offense
took the ball and scored a touchdown. That was a 10-point swing. The
interception gave the BYU defense a boost of confidence as well. Washington
State had 57-yards of offense on that first drive. They had just 54 more yards
the rest of the first half.

Mo Moment 2

BYU faced a 4th and 1 at the Washington State
18-yard line. Rather than kick a field goal and take the easy points, BYU
elected to go for the first down. True freshman Taysom Hill was inserted at
quarterback. He scrambled and could have run for the first down, but he spotted
an open receiver and got a touchdown.

Momentum boost! With a 7-0 lead, a field goal would have
made it just 10-0. The touchdown made it a 14-0 game. The two touchdown lead
resulting from touchdowns on back-to-back possessions signified that BYU was in
complete control of the game. Adding to
the momentum was that the play came on fourth down. A stop by Washington State
keeps the game at 7-0. The red Cougars would have the ball and could tie the
game. The fact that Taysom Hill, and not Riley Nelson, threw this touchdown
adds to the overall momentum. Everyone on the BYU sideline knew this was Hill’s
very first collegiate snap. To have it turn out so well pumped up everybody in
blue.

Mo Moment 3

BYU led 17-3 with just over three minutes to play in the
first half. Washington State had the ball with enough time to score a touchdown and go into the half down just 17-10. It was third down. Kyle Van Noy made
a six-yard sack that forced Washington State to punt the ball from the back of
their end zone.

That gave the BYU offense the ball in prime scoring
position. Four plays later, BYU scored a touchdown. It was now 24-3.

Momentum swing! Instead of a possible one score game and
Washington State getting the ball to start the second half to possibly tie the
game, BYU now led by three touchdowns. The sack by Van Noy reasserted BYU’s
defensive dominance. The quick score by the offense emphasized who was in control.

Mo Moment 4

Washington State still managed to get a field goal just as
the first half ended to make the score 24-6. They received the second half
kickoff and returned it 63 yards to the BYU 35. A momentum swing for Washington
State was in the making. Back-to-back scores by Washington State and just a
24-13 deficit would have made this a game again.

The BYU defense wouldn’t tolerate that. First down, Van Noy
stormed off the edge and made a sack. Two plays later, Jordan Johnson intercepted
a pass and returned it 64 yards to the Washington State 9-yard line.

Momentum swing! BYU kicked a field goal to make it a three
touchdown game again 27-6. The game was, essentially, over. Not even with great
field position from a huge kickoff return could Washington State get in the end
zone. There was no reason to believe that Washington State could score three
touchdowns in less than 27 minutes, and hold BYU scoreless the rest of the
game.

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